HF 2929

as introduced - 89th Legislature (2015 - 2016) Posted on 03/10/2016 03:33pm

A bill for an act
relating to capital investment; requiring notice to legislature of draft
environmental assessment worksheets and environmental impact statements for
state-funded capital projects; authorizing hearings; amending Minnesota Statutes
2014, section 116D.04, by adding a subdivision.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 116D.04, is amended by adding a
subdivision to read:

new text begin Subd. 2c. new text end

new text begin Legislative notice required; hearing. new text end

new text begin (a) At the same time a responsible
governmental unit submits an environmental assessment worksheet or draft environmental
impact statement for a state-funded project to the Environmental Quality Board for
publication of a notice of availability, the responsible governmental unit shall submit
an electronic copy of the environmental assessment worksheet or draft environmental
impact statement to the chairs and ranking minority members of the senate and house of
representatives committees with jurisdiction over the agency to which the appropriation
was made, capital investment, and finance or ways and means.
new text end

new text begin (b) In addition to any other hearing held on an environmental assessment worksheet
or draft environmental impact statement, the chair of any committee specified in paragraph
(a) may hold a committee hearing to review the environmental assessment worksheet or
draft environmental impact statement. The committee hearing must be held no later than
ten days before the record for public comment on the environmental assessment worksheet
or draft environmental impact statement closes.
new text end

new text begin (c) The committee may forward a summary of testimony presented at the committee
hearing and the comments made by committee members in writing to the responsible
governmental unit before the record for public comment on the environmental assessment
worksheet or draft environmental impact statement closes.
new text end

new text begin (d) In making its decision on the need for or adequacy of an environmental impact
statement, a responsible governmental unit must consider the comments forwarded to it
by a legislative committee. If a legislative committee forwards comments on a draft
environmental impact statement to a responsible governmental unit, the responsible
governmental unit must respond to the comments in writing in the final environmental
impact statement.
new text end

new text begin (e) For the purposes of this subdivision, "state-funded project" means a capital
project costing $250,000,000 or more in aggregate, whether funded in one appropriation
or several, that is paid for in part or in whole from state general obligation bond proceeds,
trunk highway bond proceeds, state appropriation bond proceeds, or the general fund.
new text end

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective the day following final enactment and
applies to state-funded projects for which an environmental assessment worksheet or draft
environmental impact statement is required but has not been completed on or after that date.
new text end